1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a calendar shared between family members and, more particularly, to a calendar which can be accessed from wireless devices by members of the family.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Since members of present day families have active lives outside the family, they often have schedules beyond family events, and it is desirable that some kind of common listing of various activities of the family members be available for planning purposes. One of the simplest methods of doing this in the past has been taking a paper calendar and posting it in a common area of the household so that various scheduled events can be listed together. While such a system is convenient in terms of simplicity of use and easy scanning, there are some drawbacks to this type of system. In particular, in order to access this system, it is necessary to physically be present at its location. Thus, it is impossible for a family member to obtain information about events unless he or she is at home and in front of the calendar. Also, there is some difficulty for recurring events in that they must be entered manually a number of times. While this system is very workable, these drawbacks make it less convenient for family members who are away from home most of the day.
A more recent suggestion for an electronic calendar is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,018,343, which uses a web based system so that individual calendars can be accessed from their own computers. However, this does not provide a system which is easily shared among multiple users of the same family. Also, it is still necessary for a user to be at his or her computer in order to utilize this system.
Another recent development is referred to as the “Ericsson Air Calendar”. This system utilizes a wireless telephone to allow access to calendar information on the web or on a corporate network. This system utilizes synchronization between the phone and the air calendar server. The desired access to one users calendar may be granted to other users to facilitate scheduling.
While these systems do not require a physical centrally located calendar, the ability to share information is still limited, and the use of a single calendar also for individuals within the family is not easily provided. In addition, the use of such a calendar to interact with other family related devices is not available.